“About 170 drunk Russian soldiers started a huge fight in the train travelling from Chita to Chelyabinsk (Russian cities). As a result all windows in two cars have been smashed. The amount of injured people has not been reported, officials said.”
http://www.funreports.com/fun/16-05-2007/1515-drunk_russian_soldiers_fight-0
An old story. Does anybody with a history in passenger service have anything to compare?
Got the Drunken Marines on a train part down pat!
In 1961( May) Several of us were discharged from the USMC at Camp Lejune, NC. Of course, we were given tickets home. [ Train from Wilmngton,NC to Atlanta,Ga and Birmingham,Al then (for me) Memphis,Tn.]
As luck would have it we had several hours to kill in Wilmington before the train left. What to do? Eat and catch the train; after a sandwich, and about a wheelbarrow full of beer we all caught the train. Needless to say we were more or less inebriated ( some more than others). We got to the train and the Conductor, and a Porter took us all to the last car( previously unoccupied) put us all in the car, collected our tickets, and placed then around the window in the door at the end of the car and locked it.
Being Marines, and prepared, we had bought supplies for a long-boring overnight trip. Thus fortified we were prepared to travel . Upon arriving in Atlanta we were to change trains to continue on another line, SLSF, I think. Unfortunately, several of our group had suffered debilitating problems while on the o
Your trip was probably ACL Wilmington - Augusta - & Ga RR to Atlanta’s Union station. They had thru service or could at least make your car a thru car. The mule train to change stations would have been easily done,. At Atlanta you had to go to the Atlanta terminal station and take SAL (not likely) or SOU to Birmingham and SLSF on to Memphis. SOU and Frisco still had thru service or at least cars I believe at that time.
Sam, you have it right: overnight on a through train to Atlanta, and change to the Southern’s Kansas City-Florida Special there for the rest of the trip to Memphis.
Thank You, Johnnie!; Just one question. I rode into Memphis on the Frisco from Birmingham, I remember going through Holly Springs going into Memphis. Could that have been a train operated by both the Frisco and the Southern?
The Southern’s route was more north of that route? Both Southern and Frisco used the old Union Station at Memphis for their terminal. In the 1960’s the only Southern Rwy Passenger train was the ‘Tennesseean’ and it was pulled towards the late 1960’s, I think (?)
Sam, the Frisco handled the train between Kansas City and Birmingham, and the Southern carried it between Birmingham and Jacksonville. In Memphis, the Frisco used the Central Station, along with the Rock Island and the IC.
Southern’s day train (35 & 36) between Chattanooga and Memphis lasted until in the late sixties; I rode it to Chattanooga in '64, and again, to Memphis, in '65.
The ACL took you from Wilmington to Augusta, and the Georgia carried you in to Atlanta. You may well have slept through Augusta, since the train had not only a through sleeper, but also through coaches. You certainly gave an interesting description of your transfer from Union Station to Terminal Station in Atlanta. I have walked that, each way.